A while back I gave a short talk about the difficulties—and opportunities—for those of us working toward climate solutions in “tapping dark optimism,” the intense feelings we all have about climate change. Much of my thinking was informed by the work of Renee Lertzman, PhD, psychosocial applied researcher, and author of the forthcoming book, Environmental Melancholia: Psychological Dimensions of Engagement.
We are fortunate to have Renee Lertzman as a guest Flashcard author, addressing in more depth why “affect” is so critical to our work.
She reminds us that for decades, clinical psychologists (especially those with a psychoanalytic approach) have identified how unconscious anxieties, fears, and affect shape behaviors and our response to specific threats. When we trigger anxieties we almost always inadvertently trigger defenses (denial, apathy, paralysis, disavowal)—and when it comes to climate change these defenses act on everyone from greenie urban liberals to hardened climate science naysayers.
Yes, that includes you and me!
A better approach is to acknowledge affect, have compassion, and work with it, says Lertzman. One strategy she suggests is to incorporate what Buddhists call “skillful means,” that is, by recognizing, acknowledging and “holding” potential anxieties we tap the power to disarm and soften our tendencies to defend and distance ourselves. This is what a good psychotherapist does, and what Lertzman believes we all can do in our work in order to better communicate about climate change and stir action on solutions.
Here are some guidelines for getting started creating “safe spaces” for this important work.
